ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — At 2:20 p.m. EDT, the eye of Hurricane Ian roared ashore on North Captiva Island, a barrier island just west of Fort Myers, Florida -- the first hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous U.S. this season. Maximum sustained winds were 155 mph, just shy of Category 5 status. For a storm to reach the highest classification of hurricane intensity, sustained winds must be at least 157 mph. A second landfall will be possible over the weekend after Ian traverses Florida and takes a turn toward Georgia and South Carolina.
The major hurricane has prompted warnings of possibly dangerous storm surge along the state’s heavily populated Gulf Coast from Bonita Beach to the Tampa Bay region.
Winds, rain have begun intensifying, a day after Ian battered the western tip of Cuba, bringing down the electricity grid and leaving the entire island without power.
At least 2.5 million Florida residents ordered to evacuate in anticipation of a powerful storm surge, high winds and flooding rains. The hurricane center predicted Ian would roar ashore on Florida's southwest coast on Wednesday afternoon.
Winds exceeding tropical-storm strength of 39 mph reached Florida by 3 a.m. and hurricane-force winds were expected in Florida well in advance of the eyewall moving inland, the Miami-based center said.
“It is a big storm, it is going to kick up a lot of water as it comes in,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in Sarasota, a coastal city of 57,000 in the storm's projected path. He warned at a news conference: “This the kind of storm surge that is life threatening.”
Ian’s forward movement slowed over the Gulf, enabling the hurricane to grow wider and stronger. A hurricane warning covering roughly 220 miles of the state included Fort Myers as well as Tampa and St. Petersburg, which could get their first direct hit by a major storm since 1921.
Forecasters said the storm surge could reach 12 feet if it peaks at high tide. Rainfall near the area of landfall could top 18 inches.
Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West closed. Disney World theme parks and Sea World in Orlando all closed ahead of the storm.
The precise location of landfall was still uncertain, but with Ian's tropical storm-force winds extending 175 miles from its center, damage was expected across a wide area of Florida. Flash floods were possible across the whole state, and portions of its east coast faced a potential storm surge threat as Ian’s bands approach the Atlantic Ocean. Warnings also were issued for isolated tornadoes.
Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian's path to brace for days without electricity. As a precaution, hundreds of residents were being evacuated from several nursing homes in the Tampa area, where hospitals also were moving some patients.
Parts of Georgia and South Carolina also could see flooding rains and some coastal surge into Saturday. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp preemptively declared an emergency, ordering 500 National Guard troops onto standby to respond as needed.